Car-track cleaner



3 Sheets- Sheetv 1.

(No Model.)

J. E. CHAMBERS.

GAR TRACK CLEANER.

Patented oct. 20, 1891.

C j 1N: sums PETERS co., rnoumo., wnsmucvon, n. c.

(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. E. CHAMBERS. GAR TRACK CLEANER. No. 461,735. Patented 0013.20, 1891.

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3 sheets-sheet s.

SR. Rm EA BE AMA@ Hm CR .T ER -A JG u d o M o m Patented Oct. 2O

j UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH ELLOTT CHAMBERS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO THE ST. LOUIS CAR TRACK CLEANER COMPANY, OF EAST ST. LOUIS, ILLINOIS.

CAR-TRACK CLEANER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 461,735, dated October 20, 1891.`

' Application filed December 20,' 1890. A Serial No. 375,357. (No model.)

To @ZL whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JQSEPH ELLorT CHAM- BERS, of the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and 5l useful Improvement in Car-Track Cleaners,

of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

1o This invention relates to a rotary brush car-track cleaner, the brush of which is rotated by a bevel-pinion drive-gear actuated by the running track-wheels of the car; and the invention consists in features of novelty 15. hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

Figure I is a top view of the journal-pedestal bearer-frame of the running-gears of a oar to which my invention is attached and zo shows a duplex system of my rotary trackcleaners and the bevel-gear drive of said brushes actuated by the track-wheels. Fig. II is a detail' outside side view ot' said running-gears and shows one of theintermediate 2 5 brushes mounted on its hanger-journal frame,

which is secured pendent from said runninggears. Fig. III is a detail inside side view of one of the front track-wheels, with its beveldrive attachment and the front rotary brush 3o it drives; and Fig. IV is an outside side View of the brush and its shield, with a detail of the pedestal bearer-frame from which said device hangs pendent. Fig. V is an enlarged detail view.

35 Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the journal-pedestal bearer-frame of the car, and 2 is the truck-frame, which truck-frame rests on the covers 3 of the pedestals 4, which pedestalcovers are elastically carried by the springs 5. Between said pedestals the pillowblocks 6 house the brasses or journal-boxes in which'the journals 7 of the axles 8 have their bearings. I

9 represent the track-wheels that are mount- 4 5 ed on said axles, and 10 are bevel gear-wheels,

.which are securely'attached to the inside of said track-wheels or alike with said wheels fast mounted on .the axles that carry them, so that said bevel gear-wheels of necessity 5o rotate with the track-Wheels, and thus effect the purpose for which they are there placed.

11 represent thebrush-han ger frames, which are constituted of the major journal-bearing inclined hangers 12, the :minor journal-bearing inclined hangers 13, the vertical forward 5 5 journal-bearing hangers 14, and the laterallyinclined horizontal brush axles 15, which axles work in the j ournal-bearings 16 in the respective j ournal-bearer swells 17 at the feet of said hangers, and the perforate attachment- 6o -bular perforate heads 22, in which perfora- 7o tions steel or other suitable bristles 23 are in` serted and from which they project in a radial form, and in these particulars the said rotary brushesmay be of like construction to those of my oscillating car-track cleaner, for which 75 I tiled application for a patent September 29,` 1890, Serial No. 366,474. The said tubular heads'of the brushes are secured to said axles 15 by any suitable' means, so as to be fast mountedthereon and to always rotate when the 8o axles turn and the steel or other bristles project radially therefrom. The rotary brushes are preferably located ahead ofthe Wheels that work them, which wheels .run on :the track-rails 24. The extension drive-shaft 258 5 that is a continuation of the axle 15, khas l:`ast

mounted on its driver end the bifurcated tumbler-head 26 of a universal joint.V The journal-bearer arms 28 of said tumbler-head are provided with perforate bearings 29, in 9o which two of the journals 30 of thel four cross-arms of the tumbler cross-head 32 have their bearings, the other two counter-journals 30 of said tumbler cross-head having bearings 33 in the journal-bearer arms 34 of 95 the corresponding bifurcated tumbler-head 35, which latter tumbler-head is fast mounted on the short drive-shaft 36, whose journal works within the forward or minor journaltube 39 at the front end of the crook-neck loo clip 40, which clip has also a major journaltube 41, which embraces the axle outside the peripheral collar 43, that projects from and is integral with said axle and inside of the {iange-collar44ofthebevelgear-wheellO, The said clip is preferably made from steel plate, which is cut into the requisite crook-neck blank and which is bent at the middle of said blank or forward end of said crook neck into the aforesaid minor journal-tube 39the two layers of the plate being closed together after forming said tube and there clamped and fastened together by the screw-nutted bolts 45, which pass through and are seated in perforations in said double-layer plate, where they are secured by their screw-nuts, the two layers of said plate being in close parallel connection until they reach the head of said clip, where they are again unitedly secured by the screw-nutted bolts 46, which pass through and are seated in perforations in said double-layer plate, where they are secured by their screw-nuts. The two layers of plate then diverge and are formed into the aforesaid major journal-tube 4l. The extension ends of said plate beyond said major journal-tube are brought into parallel contact and are secured together by the screw-nutted bolts 47, which pass through and are seated in perforations in saiddouble-layer plate and are there secured by their screw-nuts. The aforesaid short drive-shaft 36 has a sufficient eXtension beyond the minor journaltube 39, in which it has its bearings, for the mounting thereon of the bevel-pinion 48, whose bevel-@ogs mesh into the bevel-cogs of the aforesaid bevel drive gear-wheel 10, which Y is fast mounted on the car-axle and iits against the inside of the track-wheel 9. It will thus be seen that as the track-wheel 9 moves the bevel-pinion drive-wheel l0 that rotates therewith drives the bevel-pinion gearwheel 48, which, through its shaft 36 and its universal tubular joint connection with the brush-axle shaft l5 ma the extension 25 of said shaft, turns the inclined rotary brush 2l to clean the track-rails preferably ahead of the wheel that drives said brush.

My rotary brush-cleaners may be attached to and driven by each and all of the wheels of the car, as shown in Fig. l, or to the rear wheels alone, locating the brush in an intermediate position between the wheels, as shown in Fig. lI, or it may be attached to the front of the front wheels only, as shown in Fig. lll. On cars that run on tracks that have frequent curves, switches, or other divergencies from the straight line it is preferred to use the intermediate brush, either wo uld necessarily be, the gear and joints having a continuous adverse drag movement, having a tendency toward detachment instead of attachment and to a loose gear in stead of a tight gear, as in my preferred forward attachment; third, my frontdrive connection, having a constant working tendency to mesh closer together, is much more enduring, not as with a rear draw-gear, the tendency of which is to draw apart and after a partial wear to slip cogs; fourth, my forward drive having a tendency to mesh together instead of draw apart in said forward drive there is a snugger, truer movement and avoidance of theV rattle and consequent rapid friction-wear of a draw-gear, and, fth, the drive action of my rotary brush makes a cleaner sweep of the track-rails than can be effected by a draw action, which latter 'is too apt to surmount and ride over obstructions instead of remov ing them.

Now while, as stated above, a front drive nutted bolts 19, that secure to said frame the brush-attachment hangers and prevent the throw by the rotary brushes of the dirt, snow, or stones that obstruct the track against teams and vehicles that may be traveling along the street or road.

Vhere the device is used on steam railwaycars, which usually monopolize the road on ,which they travel, the said shields may be dispensed with, as there are in such'cases no other vehicles that travel the same road.

lt will be seen that I locate my rotary brushes on a horizontal line over the trackrails, but in an angling position laterally in regard to said rails. rlhis disposition of said brushes has the following advantages: First, the bristles of the brushes as they rotate come in contact with the track-surface of the rails at an angle, and thusmore readily mount said rails and with a more steady and effective movement than they could if they swept in a transverse direction square across the rails, against which they would come with an abutting strike that would in the first place hold back the bristles from their operative work, and when by the further rotation of the brush the bristles were dragged to the ascent of the rail with the rebound of their release they would be ilirted upward and avoid the cleaning of a large portion of the rail-track; second, by my inclined presentation I avoid the abutting strike of the bristles square against the side of the rail, their IOO IIO

extreme backward bend before sui-mounting ascent by my device; third, the adverse friction and consequent increased expenditure of power from the abutting strike of the bristles square against the side of the railsis avoided by my inclined ascent of the' tread-flange of the rail, and, fourth, the said angle-sweep is in its passage operated along a longer stretch of the rail before the lifting of the bristle from contact therewith, and consequently it effects a cleaner sweep, which effect is still further aided by the passage of the bristles semi-longitudinally of the rail-track, so as to sweep both the curvilinear edges of the track as well as its summit.

lVhen the brush wears sufficiently to require lowering, the same is readily eected by detaching the attachment-bolts 19 of the hangers, the insertion of perforate washers of any required t-hickness above the flanges 18 of the hangers, the replacing of said bolts, and retightening of the screw-nuts.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a car-track cleaner for railways, the combination of a horizontal pendent hangerframe, said frame beinglaterally inclined to the track it surmounts, the pedestal bearerframe from which said hanger-frame is pendent, and the rotary brush that is mounted in said hanger-frame in front of the wheel that drives it, substantially as and for the pur-. pose set forth.

2. In a car-track cleaner lfor railways, the combination of the pedestal bearer-frame-of the car, the track-wheels 9, the bevel-pinion gear-drive operated by said track-wheels, the laterally-inclin ed pendent rotary brush driven thereby, and the han ger-brush frame suspended from and adj usted to said pedestal bearerframe, substantially asA and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a car-track cleaner for railways, the combination of the pedestal bearer-frame of the car, the major inclined hanger 12, the minor inclined hanger 13, the forward Vertical hanger 14, the inclined brush-axle mounted on said hangers, and the rotary brush mounted on said axle arranged to effect an inclined sweep ofthe track-rails, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a car-track cleaner for railways, the combination of the pedestal bearer-frame of the car, the main axles that are mounted on said frame, the track-wheels that are fast mounted on said axles, the bevcl-gear drivewheels 10, also fast mounted on said axles or secured to said wheels, the bevel-pinions that gear into said bevel drive-wheels, the driveshaft 36, on which said bevel-pinion is mounted, the inclined rotary brush that is secured track-wheels 9, the bevel drive-wheels 10, operated by said track-wheels, the bevel-pinion 4S, that gears with said bevel drive-wheel, the shaft 36, on which said bevel-pinion is mounted, and the bifurcated tumbler-head 35, in whose arms the journals of the universaljoint cross-head 32 have corresponding bearing with those of the tumbler-head 26, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a car-track cleaner for railways, the combination of the pedestal bearer-frame of the car, the inclined rotary brush 21, the inclined hanger-frame by which said brush is suspended from said pedestal-frame, and the shield 49, secured to said pedestal bearerframe outside the rotary brush, which frame arrests the too extended discharge of the snow, dust, and stones that are swept from the rail track, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. In a car-track cleaner, the combination, with the axle and track-wheels, of a horizontal pendent hanger-frame laterally inclined to the track, the pedestal bearer-frame from which said hanger-frame is suspended, the rotary brush mounted in said hanger-frame, a bearing-tube journaled on the axle, and a shaft journaled in said tube driven by the track-wheel and having universal-joint connection with said brush, substantially as set forth.

8. In a car-track cleaner, the combination, with the pedestal bearer-frame of the car, the track-wheels 9, and the axle, of the bevelpinion operated by said track-wheel, a bearing-tube journaled to said axle, a shaft journaled in said tube and having a pinion engaging said gear-wheel, the rotary brush having universal-joint connection with said shaft, and the hanger brush-frame suspended from the pedestal bearer-frame, substantially as set forth.

JOSEPH ELLOTT CHAMBERS. In presence of- BENJN. A. KNIGHT, SAML. KNIGHT.

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